Bilge pump, is it automatic??

[dkorzun21]

Just wondering i have been reading a couple of forms and have heard that people bilge pump are automatic are they all? mine has a switch so I dont think it is but was wondering if it is. When water getts in there every couple hours due to a small crack in the back i have to use the switch for water to come out should it be automatic??

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Bilge pump, is it automatic??

You need to get in your hull and learn all about your pump system. Every boat owner should be able to trouble shoot, fix and bypass the bilge system. The best option is a flaot switch (for automatic) with a manual override.

Oh, and fix that crack, too.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Bilge pump, is it automatic??

Some are and some are not. Usually the automatic ones have 3 wires. Does it have a float switch? Will it turn off if it runs out of water?

Some 2 wire ones have a float and if you leave the switch on it will only pump when the water activates the float.

 

[dkorzun21]

Re: Bilge pump, is it automatic??

You need to get in your hull and learn all about your pump system. Every boat owner should be able to trouble shoot, fix and bypass the bilge system. The best option is a flaot switch (for automatic) with a manual override.

Oh, and fix that crack, too.

umm ok doesnt really help

 

[rolmops]

Re: Bilge pump, is it automatic??

Some bilge pumps are automatic and some are not.
If you have to manually switch yours on,then it is not automatic.
Automatic bilge pumps usually have to 2 power feeds.
One is activated by the float ,which is either internal or on the side,the other goes through a switch on your dash in case the float gets stuck.
It is best to have 2 bilge pumps.One automatic and one manual.The extra $30 for a second bilge pump is a very good and cheap investment.

 

[dkorzun21]

Re: Bilge pump, is it automatic??

Sorry to be an ***** above thought i was on another post so please disregard.

secound mine does have the blower swithch on the dash board to flip so is it not auto tooo... Reason y i say that is because in the buttom of the transom there is a wire that just sits in the water.

Also fyi just had all thoses units changed for 3 bucks so everything should be working right, but as you all know whoo knows. lol

 

[redone4x4]

Re: Bilge pump, is it automatic??

this is what i did when i added a float switch, becuase all I had was a dash switch (this is how i tested my float switch after i installed it):

while the boat is on the trailer, put the drain plug in. carefully start filling the bilge up with water from a hose. Dont get any of the engine components wet though. now, did the water start pumping itself out? if you turn the switch on, does it pump out? It should be setup so that as long as the battery is connected, the float switch "floats up" and turns the pump on. My boat didnt have one, so I added one. You definitely want one, I don't know how they ever produced boats without a float switch.

Anyways, follow the bilge pump tube under the engine and see where its coming from. Are there wires coming off the bilge pump to a floating "wedge" looking switch? if not, then there is no float switch. The blower switch has nothing to do with any of it.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Bilge pump, is it automatic??

Sorry to be an ***** above thought i was on another post so please disregard.

secound mine does have the blower swithch on the dash board to flip so is it not auto tooo... Reason y i say that is because in the buttom of the transom there is a wire that just sits in the water.

Also fyi just had all thoses units changed for 3 bucks so everything should be working right, but as you all know whoo knows. lol

If the wire that just sits in the water is a brown wire and it comes from the bilge pump,then it is very possible that you do have an automatic pump.That is ,if it is one out of 2 brown wires.
If so,just attach that wire to the + on your battery (with a fuse along the line obviously)If the pump turns on instantly that that is the manual hookup.If not, pour enough water into the bilge to cover the pump.If it kicks in,then you have your automatic bilge pump.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Bilge pump, is it automatic??

You don't need to fill the boat; most floats can be tested manually: lift the wedge and listen for the motor. I use the float switch where the wedge (float) is inside a plastic box, so that so0mething won't fall on the float and cancel it. It has a small knob on the base you can twist to test. There are also pumps with the float built in; I don't know if they have a tester.
Go to a marine store and look at the display of the different types, learn how they work, and then stick your head in your bilge and see what you have and how it works.
A "brown wire laying in the water" is a disconnected bilge pump wire. Previous owner probably had a splice that layed in the water, too, and failed.

If you are buying new stuff, get the pump and float seperate and get a covered float.